July 26, 2014

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There are only that few local celebrity chefs from Singapore, many of whom greet us on our local Channel 8, threading villages with Kym Ng, or judging dishes cooked by artistes who try hard.

Many should be familiar with Chef Daniel (I like this name!), who has gathered many fans after appearances on television as a vocal kind-hearted judge.

His background is in classical French cuisine, but is more known for his innovation behind several modern Chinese dishes, leaving his mark at Chinois in Melbourne; Xin Cuisine, Imperium and Tung Lok Group in Singapore.

Therefore expectations are high.

I generally do not go for media tastings nowadays, and instead rather gather a few foodie friends to hunt for food. More freedom, less restrictions.

The restaurant moved and changed concept from the former location at Bugis+, the Chinatown Point venue seems befitting due to his Channel 8 fanbase.

With a celebrity chef backing, garden-like pleasant interior, and affordable menu prices, we thought this is due for a check-out.

There were some hits and more misses. The following are some comments from my foodie friends. I took a few bites too and concur. Did the kitchen have a busy day?

PinkyPiggu: “Usually, I’ll get excited over Foie Gras. But the moment I had a bite of that overdone piece and tasted slight bitterness in my mouth, all excitement stopped.” (I agreed because the piece did taste somewhat ‘chao tar’.)

Ironsage: “Dish was visually pretty which is just about the only good thing about it. The duck breast was sliced too thinly and tasted like pan seared ham. The fried egg was standard school canteen food. The sprouts were added like as an after-thought. The mash at the bottom was okay and the pink peppercorns was a pleasant surprise and gave it that touch to different it was a celebrity chef’s dish. But it was too little too late.”

SgFoodonFoot: “The pork belly is the saving grace with its modern take of the traditional Kong Bak Bao.”

Cioppino ($15.50) – Penne in seafood stewed in roasted tomato sauce

This was what I ordered. The base sauce can actually be quite distinctive, tangy with some zest and sweetness, and has the potential to lift up the taste pasta. Unfortunately, its execution led to a rather watery and diluted sauce.

So Le Cuisine’s food didn’t turn out quite to be expected. I wondered why every main ordered had some pea shoots added on top. Every. With that said, some mentioned they had better experience the previous time. The prices are indeed wallet-friendly too.